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Are you sure about that warranty, jk? I just opened my XBR3 up and the warranty card says 1 year. I haven't seen 18 months mentioned anywhere in my support literature. I was under the impression that it came with a longer warranty as well, but I can't seem to find it anywhere.

I e-mailed Sony tier 2 tech support about the replacement 46XBR2 brought to me yesterday (including pictures) and how it was much worse than my original set so I refused the replacement. Let me say their tier 2 tech support is great.

Not a day later I've received an e-mail reply apologizing for the quality of the replacement set, note that the engineers have been told about the worse replacement, and assurance that he will speak with the engineers on Monday to make sure the issue is fresh in their minds. At this point I really feel that this is an issue that Sony didn't know about and they're looking into it.

If the dealings with my place or purchase and Sony had been in any way troublesome the set would have gone back a long time ago. The major factor in my keeping this set regardless of uniformity issues has been the support I've received. I remain positive that the problem will eventually be resolved.

Interesting side note. I got the December 2006 issue of Sound & Vision magazine a couple days ago. In it is a review of a JVC LT-46FN97. A 1080p set. One of the minuses listed by the reviewer is "Uneven uniformity in dark areas." I wonder if this JCV uses the same panel as the Sony and Samsungs? I bet it does.

KDL-46XBR2, Ser# 8032xxx, Oct 06, Mexico, petmic (thxs!)settings with BL=2 and very similar clouding problem-mainly upper left corner and lower right-"distracting" is best description.
Talked with Sony Tech support (7669#), and Mike said this was not a known problem; he didn't offer anything I could try to fix it and that I had a defective TV. They were willing to set up a service call but that it would be "in my best interest" to take back to BB since it is just three days since purchase. I do have the BB extended warranty.

Tried some different combinations to see if I could get to something I could live with rather that go through the frustration of exchanging and getting the same product-doesn't have to be jet black but minimum clouding.

My work around: set power saving to High and Backlight to minimum. This will get very close to the "no clouding issue" pics that have been posted. I'm going to evaluate this for a few days. It's much less bright than before.

I'm glad I found this thread because I was thinking about getting a 40XBR2. Once I started reading about the clouding, it quickly made me rethink my decision. I began to investigate the other Sony options and found the 40V2500 model. It's basically the same tv as the XBR2, but it's missing one HDMI input, the DRC 2.5 (which it seems most people toggle off), and the ability to work with the inputs on the white balance. These seemed like minor differences compared to the issues of clouding. I found the V2500 owner's thread and didn't really come across anything negative regarding this issue.

Anyhow, long story short, BB is having a killer sale on these tvs right now. All their tvs are discounted from yesterday until today only. I got the v2500 at a great price and I've loved it from the minute I hooked it up. I don't know exactly when this tv was made, but I bought it new at BB yesterday. I have ZERO issues of clouding or anything that resembles problems with backlighting.

Are you sure about that warranty, jk? I just opened my XBR3 up and the warranty card says 1 year. I haven't seen 18 months mentioned anywhere in my support literature. I was under the impression that it came with a longer warranty as well, but I can't seem to find it anywhere.

I went to a tweeter store [chain in mass and other states] and they have a good financing deal going which has me interested in these tvs. had a sales guy change to unused input and no clouding. but the tv was made in july of 06. anyway he stated when I asked the difference in the xbr2 and 3 was the 18 month warranty on the xbr3 as opposed to 12 months on the xbr2.

I went to a tweeter store [chain in mass and other states] and they have a good financing deal going which has me interested in these tvs. had a sales guy change to unused input and no clouding. but the tv was made in july of 06. anyway he stated when I asked the difference in the xbr2 and 3 was the 18 month warranty on the xbr3 as opposed to 12 months on the xbr2.

Be warned, you can't see the cloudiness on unused input channels in the store. The lighting is too bright for this to be apparent. FWIW

Be warned, you can't see the cloudiness on unused input channels in the store. The lighting is too bright for this to be apparent. FWIW

This is the absolute truth. I went over to BB to check and see if any of their floor models exhibited the problem. The 46" XBR3 in the Magnolia room seemed to have a hint of it, but it's one of those things that would surely be magnified once you got it home.

KDL-46XBR2, Ser# 8032xxx, Oct 06, Mexico, petmic (thxs!)settings with BL=2 and very similar clouding problem-mainly upper left corner and lower right-"distracting" is best description.
Talked with Sony Tech support (7669#), and Mike said this was not a known problem; he didn't offer anything I could try to fix it and that I had a defective TV. They were willing to set up a service call but that it would be "in my best interest" to take back to BB since it is just three days since purchase. I do have the BB extended warranty.

Tried some different combinations to see if I could get to something I could live with rather that go through the frustration of exchanging and getting the same product-doesn't have to be jet black but minimum clouding.

My work around: set power saving to High and Backlight to minimum. This will get very close to the "no clouding issue" pics that have been posted. I'm going to evaluate this for a few days. It's much less bright than before.

Now I need to figure out the other picture settings; any suggestions?

Hope this helps!

I would avoid taking it back to BB immediately. I am in the same situation. Just got it yesterday, have the clouds and extended warranty from BB. From a family employee that works at BB, he said to take it up with Sony because most of the units they have in stock are going to be from the same shipment and would most likely have the same issues. That's his $.02 which makes me think that my plan of holding out until Sony can address the issue and then exchange might be the best course of action.

At this point I really feel that this is an issue that Sony didn't know about and they're looking into it.

Quite a few reports were issued about this problem at Sony before you called in. If Sony doesn't know about it by now, perhaps they need to get a better system?

I think a company like Sony has to have a mechanism in place that looks at numerous reports of the same issues. Maybe they don't have enough info yet to make a final determination?

We already know that Sony doesn't think dead/stuck pixels are a big deal, and say that it is normal to have less than 8 per square inch or whatever (21 per square inch is in writing on their warranty).

Hard to know what Sony will come up with. Some people will obviously get replacements if they complain high enough and loud enough.

I'm not sure my uneven backlighting in night time viewing on a dark screen with no input coming in would help me get mine replaced. The Sony techs would have to come at night to notice mine. Even then, it's debatable on mine if it's defective enough. My wife says it no big deal and loves the set.

I also have 3 stuck pixels that I noticed, thanks to looking at this black screen up close at night time. I've had dead pixels on my computer monitor in the past that I noticed all the time. At least with this TV, I don't see anything unless I'm staring from 2 feet away at a black inputless turned on screen. Plus, I knew about pixels in advance, and knew LCD had this issue.

It's just what I was saying earlier, If you look for problems, you will find them. I should have listened to myself better. I'm under the impression that most people here, including myself now, are obsessing a little too much, and I stress the word MOST, not all. 2 or 3 pics I've seen here appear bad, but most aren't.

Taking everything into account from my short stint with my highly rated Panny plasma TV, to my Sony XBR2, I am totally happy that I exchanged my plasma for the Sony. And that's taking into account all the issues that both sets and technologies had/have.

I was checking out the 46XBR2 at my local BestBuy. The TV was placed in a very
dark corner of the store.(Magnolla or something?)

Since I'm considering getting it for my mother's house, I spent quite a while
looking at it. While a Blu-Ray DVD was playing, the dark areas have this foggy
look. I asked the salesman about this. He said it was the movie... but when I
switched the video input, there were several large areas of faint while colors.
The Panasonic 50" 600U plasma right next to it(playing the same movie from the
same source) did not have this problem. The salesman then claims that it's just
normal for LCD screens. !!!??? Another salelsman came over... the two of them
talked to each other as if I'm invisible. Iwas only two feet away from them.
They basically thought I was a complete idiot and that I should "get my eyes
checked by an eye doctor..."(actual quote) I never felt so insulted...

I just discovered this thread and I feel vindicated... Maybe I should go back
to the store and give them the link to this thread.

In the mean time, I guess I'll stay away from the 46XBR2 for now....

However, I do have a few quick questions:

(1) if it is indeed a "defect" what should Sony do? I assume replacement is the
only solution, as replacing just the LCD panels makes no sense at all...

(2) does this problem occur straight out of the box, or does it start appearing
after a while?

(3) can anyone speculate as to the cause of this problem? bad design, bad
quality control, or manufacturing defect?

(4) does the problem ever get worse? (i.e. the white area getting bigger)

Here are some pics of my new 40V2500. Sorry about the quality. I've got no clue on the camera settings when you get into manual modes. I did the best I could, but I think you can get the picture (pun intended). I was considering the XBR2, but for the few differences I'd get w/ the XBR, it doesn't warrant the gamble on the cloudy picture for one, and this tv was about $600.00 cheaper. The room is pretty bright, so that accounts for some of the glare on the set. There are no clouds, though. Of this, I'm sure. I snapped a pic of the unused input. I also remembered seeing a pic of Star Wars Episode III, so I took one of that, too.

When I saw the Thanksgiving prices on the XBR3's, I was ready to jump...but this clouding issue has got me spooked.

My dilema is this:

Crutchfield is currently out of stock on the 46XBR3, but I can still order it now at the sale price and wait for backorder.

What do you think the odds are that the next shipment that they get in will still have the backlight issue?

-BoZero

I wouldn't deal with an etailer for this purchase. Normally, I wouldn't hesitate to buy from a trusted online seller, but due to the fact that the tv made need to be returned several times. . . You'd be looking at a lot of potential out-of-pocket expense for shipping back and forth. I'd go with a B&M store for this. Prior to my purchase at BB yesterday, I bought my last tv from BH Photo Video.

I wouldn't deal with an etailer for this purchase. Normally, I wouldn't hesitate to buy from a trusted online seller, but due to the fact that the tv made need to be returned several times. . . You'd be looking at a lot of potential out-of-pocket expense for shipping back and forth. I'd go with a B&M store for this. Prior to my purchase at BB yesterday, I bought my last tv from BH Photo Video.

Unfortunately, not many B&M's (including BB) sell the XBR3...only the XBR2. I want the XBR3 for the asthetics.

Unfortunately, not many B&M's (including BB) sell the XBR3...only the XBR2. I want the XBR3 for the asthetics.

-BoZero

I see your quandary now. I was never considering the 3, only the XBR2 series. If you have to go with an online purchase, I'd sacrifice finding the cheapest price for finding the outlet with the best policy for handling returns/defective merchandise, etc. I'd probably consider Sony Style and deal directly w/ the mfg. even though it would mean paying a little more. Just my .02 Good luck on your purchase and I hope you get a great tv!!

I was checking out the 46XBR2 at my local BestBuy. The TV was placed in a very
dark corner of the store.(Magnolla or something?)

Since I'm considering getting it for my mother's house, I spent quite a while
looking at it. While a Blu-Ray DVD was playing, the dark areas have this foggy
look. I asked the salesman about this. He said it was the movie... but when I
switched the video input, there were several large areas of faint while colors.
The Panasonic 50" 600U plasma right next to it(playing the same movie from the
same source) did not have this problem. The salesman then claims that it's just
normal for LCD screens. !!!??? Another salelsman came over... the two of them
talked to each other as if I'm invisible. Iwas only two feet away from them.
They basically thought I was a complete idiot and that I should "get my eyes
checked by an eye doctor..."(actual quote) I never felt so insulted...

I feel your pain with B&M sales help. I've had bad experiences at BB, but today it was an Audio/Vision store's salesman that blew me off when I asked the difference between two sets. He told me to find my answers on the internet. Maybe I should buy it off the internet, too. (Oddly enough, he suggested I check out the BB website. I'm still not sure if he was serious or mildly insulting me?)

Anyway, I almost bought this set last weekend. Luckily for me, CC didn't have any in stock. Since then, I've been reading this thread all week and making me glad I didn't make the purchase. What a nightmare for you folks. As a possible switch, I did go look at the 46xbr3 at another video store but I can't help but worry the problem will pop up there, too. Then I started to check out Mitsubishi and had my wonderful experience that I mentioned above.

I'm not sure my uneven backlighting in night time viewing on a dark screen with no input coming in would help me get mine replaced. The Sony techs would have to come at night to notice mine. Even then, it's debatable on mine if it's defective enough. My wife says it no big deal and loves the set.

....

It's just what I was saying earlier, If you look for problems, you will find them. I should have listened to myself better. I'm under the impression that most people here, including myself now, are obsessing a little too much, and I stress the word MOST, not all.

I have to agree with you, you're obsessing too much. I think the early post that said that looking at the screen in the dark with no input put some people on the wrong track. That's only the first step ... then you have to see if it still shows up while something is playing.

The people who can see it during a film, etc. - that's a defect. You don't have to be looking for a problem to notice that, though if it's subtle it may take a while before you realize it's showing up when it shouldn't.

So the woman and I picked up a 27" Olevia (bedroom tv) today and it is fantastic. I noticed no clouds at all and am totally happy. The backlight bleed you can see in the picture is not noticeable in real life.

Got a KDL40V2500 last night from bestbuy, and noticed the light cloudiness around the display in a dark setting. Another thing that is kind of odd, is you can see the cutoff of the 2 back lights where they meet at the center. This can be noticed from one of the clouds showing up and having a almost vertical line edge near the center where the transition happens. Snapped a picture with my camera to show it. The cutoff point really seems to get noticed during dark scenes over the normal clouds, because it isn't a "random blob" but instead a sharp line.

Got a KDL40V2500 last night from bestbuy, and noticed the light cloudiness around the display in a dark setting. Another thing that is kind of odd, is you can see the cutoff of the 2 back lights where they meet at the center. This can be noticed from one of the clouds showing up and having a almost vertical line edge near the center where the transition happens. Snapped a picture with my camera to show it. The cutoff point really seems to get noticed during dark scenes over the normal clouds, because it isn't a "random blob" but instead a sharp line.

Should I try to return and exchange?

Can anyone honestly say they think that panel looks fine? I think it looks like 5h!t and it would have a glaring effect when watching dark programming.

Well, we just watched our first movie on the new set. X-Men 3: The Last Stand. Noticed the clouds in a few scenes and can definitely see how if you were watching a darker movie that this would drive somebody insane.

In retrospect, I'm glad I purchased the 4 year extended warranty from BB/MHT and will most certainly be going through the replacement process, but not until these panels improve. All in all, we're very pleased with our XBR3, just these clouds that pop up from time to time when watching certain programming. Hopefully Sony can get it under control.

Well I returned it and got the model just below it that is the 720P version. Completely (almost perfect) backlight evenness. Was kinda funny, the asshat geeksquad guys were playing some dvd on it, bright blue and whatnot colors.. and were like "See the TV is perfectly fine". I told them it was more noticeable in dark areas on a black screen, and the guy turned off the little overhead light (still bright as hell from the store lights), and was basically saying "I dont see anything, this TV is perfectly good". I think they might have finally seen the crap, but if I am returning a TV because I dont like it, accept the return flat out, dont try to haggle with me.

The whole thing I dont like is being called a liar to my face about a very evident problem when you are at home watching TV in a dark room. If you want to try and say it doesn't exist, then replicate the damned setting. Dont half ass it and act like an a$$hole to the guy who just spent 2500 bucks on a TV.

Also, no idea if this is relevant, but the manufacturer date on the 1080P TV was Sept 06. The packing box is also a good 4" thinner than the one the 720P set comes in. My 1080P box had a shattered lower foam block as well. Perhaps this could be related to the boxes not providing enough support for the displays during transit?